How to Breastfeed to your baby

Breastfeed is the preferred method of infant feeding; breast milk provides the very best nutrition. Formula cannot replicate the nutrients found in breast milk. The different nutrients in your breast milk keep pace with your baby’s growth and changing nutritional needs. For example, when your baby is five weeks old, your milk is the perfect mix of nutrients for a five-week-old. When your baby is 10 months old, the composition of your breast milk will be different – and perfect for your 10-month old baby! Woman’s Breastfeeding Guide offers comprehensive breastfeeding information for you and your baby.

The following are just a few benefits of breastfeeding for you and your baby:

Benefits for Baby

• Easily digested
• Perfectly matched nutrition
• Decreases obesity
• Protects against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
• Fewer gastrointestinal disturbances
• Fewer ear and lower respiratory infections and breathing problems
• Stimulates sense of taste and smell
• Antibodies protect against infections, colds, viruses and allergies
• Facilitates bonding; baby receives skin-to-skin, eye and voice contact
• Reduces the risk of many illnesses and health problems during childhood and later in life, including:
  • Staph, strep, E. coli and salmonella infections
  • Urinary tract infections
  • Pneumonia
  • Meningitis
  • Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
  • Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
  • Many childhood cancers (such as leukemia)
  • Breast and ovarian cancer

Benefits for Mother

• Convenient — it is always available and at the perfect temperature
• Saves money
• Helps the uterus return to its normal size faster
• Reduces the risk of osteoporosis (bone loss) later in life
• Less likely to develop some breast, uterine, endometrial and ovarian
• Cancers
• Reduces risk of type 2 diabetes
• May reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cho-lesterol and high triglycerides
• Recover more quickly after childbirth
• Are more likely to return to their pre-pregnancy weight
• Have a lower risk of anemia after childbirth
• Miss fewer work days to care for sick children

Benefits for Both

Helps you and your baby emotionally bond, contributing to a very special and loving relationship for breast feeding.

Exclusive Breastfeeding Recommended

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. This recommendation is based on scientific evidence that shows benefits for a baby’s health and proper growth and development.

In its most recent policy statement, “The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reaffirms its recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding for about six months, followed by continued breastfeeding as complementary foods are introduced, with the continuation of breastfeeding for one year or longer as mutually desired by mother and infant (AAP, 2012).”

Common Breastfeeding Questions

Does breastfeeding hurt?

Breastfeeding may be uncomfortable at first, but should not hurt. You can learn how to properly position your baby to reduce discomfort. While at the hospital, be sure to ask your lactation consultant if your baby is latched on properly.

What if I don’t have a healthy diet?

Even if your diet isn’t as healthy as it should be, your body will still make healthy breast milk.

What if I smoke?

It’s still best to breastfeed even if you smoke; however, never smoke around your baby.

Is it possible to breastfeed if I go back to work or school?

Yes! You can pump milk during breaks and store in a refrigerator or small ice chest.